


Strings

by ezranifying



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Slow Updates, classical music boiiiss, i guess its cute or whateva, im sorry, it'll have multiple chapterd, its cute okay, jazz!lance, orchestral!keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-16 02:45:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13626936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ezranifying/pseuds/ezranifying
Summary: Keith and Lance both attend Galra Music University for two separate genres of music. The two genres aren't suppose to interact, meaning that Keith and Lance can't interact, and they didn't. Well, not until Keith went down the hallway to room 723...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this should be a nice introduction. ive worked really hard on this, i hope you like it :)

Chapter 1: Room 723

Keith didn’t know what made him turn left instead of right today, or why he went down jazz hallway instead of his usual orchestra hallway, but all he knew was that he was mesmerized. 

Keith grew up knowing the guitar as the “forbidden” instrument. Don’t touch the guitar, don’t look ag the guitar, don’t think about the guitar. The guitar isn’t a real instrument. The guitar won’t get you anywhere. True musicians play any other string instrument but the guitar…

But listening to the calming music coming out of room 723 made Keith want to stay and listen. To stay and close his eyes. To stay and get lost in the sound of the fingers of the player against the metal strings. Just to stay. 

A voice was added to the playing, and as awkward as Keith felt standing outside the door listening, he wanted to stay because the voice gave him chills. He was relaxed listening to the boy singing in a language that he couldn’t translate in his head. The trills of the guitar and the trills of his voice mixed with each other so well, and Keith was in love (with the music). 

The music stopped, and Keith opened his eyes from the musical trance he was in.

“Hello?” The singer’s voice said and Keith jumped. “Hey who’s there?” 

Keith didn’t know what to do. Does he stay and comfort he singer? Does he walk away and pretend he wasn’t here?

He walks away and pretends he wasn’t there, rolling his big cello behind him. It’s been a couple seconds but he already misses the strings’ sound. 

\-------

The same time as yesterday, Keith walks down the jazz hallway, rolling his cello behind him as quietly as he can. 

The guitar sound follows through Keith’s ear and down his body. The chills. The guitarist isn’t playing anything that Keith knows, but then again Keith wouldn’t know it. All he knew was orchestra chorales and pieces. If it’s not Beethoven or Mozart then it’s not in the music library. 

Keith stayed outside the doors, he was afraid to go inside and meet the stringed stranger, but at the same time he wanted to see the fingers behind the strings. Ask him how he learned to move each string individually and not collectively. 

Keith let out a sigh, which was his mistake. The music stopped. 

Damn. 

“Hello?” The voice from yesterday said again, and again like yesterday Keith bolted with his cello rolling behind him.

\---

Day 3: now Keith knew he was there only because of the music.

He got yelled at in his orchestral class rehearsal because he missed cues. The only reason he missed the cues is because he was thinking of the guitar music. 

“Kogane!” He was scorned by his director. “Get your shit together, the concert’s in 5 weeks.” 

“Sorry,” Keith mumbled. 

Keith told himself that he wasn’t going to go to the jazz section, he wasn’t going to go to the guitarist. He was going to practice his cello and perfect the piece. 

But no, he was outside room 723 listening to the calming guitar sounds. Somehow it sounds like multiple people playing, but Keith knows it’s one person playing. 

He wants to step into and follow the guitar, but he’s stuck to the floor. His ears travel though. His ears go into the room, walk around and dance to the guitar. 

He really wanted to go inside. 

The guitar got louder and Keith got calmer. How did he make those sounds. 

Keith closed his eyes and tried to imagine the notes. He imagined quarter notes and triplets dance in his eyes, and Keith kind of smiled. 

“Hey there,” someone says and Keith pops out of his trance. The guitarist was right next to him, right next to the door, arm length distance. 

“Uhh. I-I’m so sorry. I disturbed you. I’ll leave. I’m sorry. I just--” Keith apologized and the guy laughed. 

“Hey chill man. It’s okay.” He says with a reassuring smile, and in return Keith does a (·-·) face. 

They stood in silence for a while until Keith speaks. 

“I like your guitar,” Keith says and the boy smiles (at least Keith thinks he smiled). 

“Yeah me too,” he chuckles. “My dad started to teach me a long time ago, then I started to teach myself.”

“That’s cool.” Keith nods and Lance nods also. “Well I gotta go.” Keith rolls his cello back and forth behind him. 

“Okay then,” the boy nods again. 

“Alright.” And with that, Keith was gone rolling his cello behind him. 

\------

Keith didn’t go to the hallway the next day, however the next next day, which was a Friday, Keith was there with his cello behind him. Like always, he stands at the door and listen to the guitar music, and his listening was going great until the music stopped. 

“Hey, you don’t have to sit outside if you don’t want to. You can come inside,” the boy says and Keith looks up from his spot on the floor. 

“Uh, okay,” Keith nods. He went inside at sat on a chair, it was a pretty reasonable distance between them. It was enough for Keith to listen, but not for Keith to bother. He didn’t want to bother to musician, even though he was pretty sure his cello was in his way of...music-ing. (Yes Keith was a musician, and yes he just used the word musicing). 

All Keith could do was stare at the boy’s hands, how they moved down the neck and body of the guitar. He looked so focused on what he was doing. His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes wondered but a smiled remained planted on his face (well it was more of a smirk than a smile). His fingers continued to move and then he looks up at Keithm, his smirk continuous. 

Keith didn’t know where his sudden burst of shy came from. Yes, he was introverted but Keith wasn’t shy. So why did he want to hide his face, and turn around? Why did he want to get up and leave? The guitarist wasn’t repulsive, well he was anything but repulsive. 

“Do you play?” The guitarist asked and Keith, for some reason, blushes. It made him mad. 

“No,” Keith responds, clenching his fist. “I play the cello in the orchestra.” 

The boy scoffs. 

“You know you and I aren’t supposed to mix, it’s apart of the unknown Galra Music University Rules,” he says, looking directly at Keith.

Keith knew it was a bad idea to come down the jazz hallway, he should’ve turned around the first day. 

“Uhh. I’m sorry. I’ll go then,” Keith says hiding his face because for some reason it’s Starburst Pink. 

“No, no, no,” the boy stops Keith, he’s no longer smirking. “I meant, coño. Alright. Topic change: I’m Lance, what’s your name?”

“Keith,” he answers, and then points to his cello. “That’s 주홍 (juhong), which is Korean for Scarlet.” 

“Cool. Cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool,” Lance says nodding his head slowly. “What’s brought you to this part of the woods?”

“This is a classroom,” Keith says bluntly and Lance’s eyes widen. 

“I meant it as a metaphor, the woods being a comparison as the room,” Lance explains and Keith crosses his arms. 

“That’s stupid,” Keith says. “I’m here because of your guitar. It sounded cool...or whatever.”

“You like it? It’s just a little somethin’ somethin’ I do,” Lance says, making his shoulder shimmy at “somethin’ somethin’”. “I didn’t get into GMU with the guitar though. I also play the trumpet in the top jazz band: Galra Big Band.”

“Why’s it called the Big Band?”

“Because that’s what jazz groups are called.” 

“Is it a big band?”

“Nah, it has like 15 people.” 

“Then it’s not a big band.” 

Lance’s face gets flustered and he lets out a big huff. 

“Calling it the Big Band is not relative to size, it’s called the Big Band because that’s just what it is,” Lance says in a split nanosecond. You can tell that he’s really passionate about what he’s talking about. “What about you Mr. Scarlet? Are you in your top band?”

“Yes, and I’m first chair,” Keith answers but Lance just looks puzzled. 

“What’s first chair?”

“He who sits in the first chair is the best at said instrument in that band. They are the leader and should be respected. You don’t have first chair in jazz?”

“Nope,” Lance pops the p. “In jazz, we believe that everyone is equal and have equal opportunities of each part, but at the same time you won’t get what you can’t handle.”

“That’s stupid.”

“You’re stupid,” Lance shoots back. 

They sat in silence for a while. 

“Can I see your cello?” Lance asks and Keith shrugs his shoulders. 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

Lance goes to the cello case and carefully opens it. Keith’s cello was beautiful, it was given to him by his mother who didn’t care what he played as long as he was happy playing it. 

“Wow she’s beautiful,” Lance compliments. 

“Thanks.” 

“You should play something,” Lance suggests and Keith shakes his head rapidly. 

“Um, no. I don’t know if I should.”

“C’mon. You’ve heard me play every single day this week.” 

It was a fair argument, Keith did hear him play every day this week. But what he heard wasn’t music, what he heard was a trance that put him under. 

“Fine.” Keith gives in. He picks up 주홍 and places her between his legs.

Here goes nothing, he starts playing. It was something that he composed himself, something that he’s never played for anyone before. But he was comfortable with this person, so he played it. The bass of his cello filled the small room and his bow swished across the body. Then he speed up. Keith’s fingers danced across the strings and he closed his eyes because of how focused he was. It was a fast pace but at the same time it was classic and orchestral. 

He was done.

Keith slowly opened his eyes one eye at a time. He kind of didn’t want to see Lance’s reaction but at the same time he wanted to. Lance was such a good player and Keith kind of wanted to impress his. Fortunately for Keith, Lance was in awe. 

“That was fucking amazing!” Lance cheers and laughs. “Oh my gosh. How’d you do that?” 

“You like it?” Keith asks, and Lance scoffs. 

“Uh, YEAH! You’re so good at this.” 

“Thanks I’ve been playing for 10 years,” Keith says and Lance just stays amazed. 

They sit in silence again. 

“Uh, I gotta go or I’m going to be late to Orchestra,” Keith says and Lance goes back to nodding. 

“Alright, see you tomorrow,” Lance says, and Keith leaves. 

\------

Monday afternoon: lunch, Keith was at room 723. Keith didn’t know if he should knock on the door and wait for entry or if he should walk in and sit on the floor, even though he doesn’t like the floor. What if Friday was a one time occurence? Keith should go. 

“Are you going to sit out there awkwardly again?” Lance asks, startling Keith but Keith’s heart slowed down a little. 

“Yeah,” Keith responds, walking into room 723. Lance has his guitar setup on a guitar stand, with a laptop next to it. 

“What are you doing with the laptop?” Keith asks and Lance smiles for a split second. 

“I’m going to educate you, in jazz.” When Lance says the word “jazz”, his hands do what Keith think is jazz hands. 

“Was that necessary,” Keith says trying to have a joking tone, but it didn’t come out that way. 

“Um, very,” Lance answers, motioning toward the floor meaning that he wants Keith to sit on the floor. 

Um, no thanks. 

“I’m not sitting on the floor,” Keith says. He was trained since he was little to never sit on the floor. 

“Uh, yes you are,” Lance says. 

“Under what law?” 

“Under the law that states: “You are in the Jazz Hallway, therefore you follow jazz rules,” Lance argues, pulling Keith down to the floor. 

The floor was extremely dirty, do jazz kids not clean up after themselves.

After typing youtube.com into the browser, and a couple more clicks, Lance was introducing Keith to all kinds of jazz in all their forms. The blues, ragtime, swing, funk, latin (which happened to be Lance’s favorite kind) and just classics in general. Keith had to admit he enjoyed listening to the music. He was use to “classical” music making a person want to dance, jig in their chair? Yes, but never full out move your feet dance. Keith was introduced to the class artist: Louis Armstrong, Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Art Tatum (according to Lance those weren’t even all the major ones). 

“That’s a bass,” Keith points at the stringed instrument in the youtube video. 

“Yeah,” Lance chuckles. “It’s so cool. The standing bass, along with the rest of the rhythm section, make the band sound full. I think you’d look pretty cool playing the bass.” 

Keith kind of blushes. He’s honored that Lance thinks he has the capability to play said instrument, but the thought of standing while playing exhausts Keith. 

“Yeah, well I think you’d make a good French Horn,” Keith says back to Lance, not looking up at Lance at all. Lance doesn’t know it, but Keith just gave Lance the best compliment. Keith’s mother played the French Horn, and she was the most amazing person Keith knew. 

“Aha, thanks,” Lance laughs. “It’s your turn.” 

“My turn for what?” Keith responds bluntly. 

“To educate me in classical music. The only piece I’ve listened to without falling asleep in Fur Eliose,” Lance says and Keith gags. Keith’s father always said that Fur Eloise was a song never to be uttered unless you’re just learning how to play it. Apparently, the song is very hated in the pianist community since it’s overplayed way too much. 

“Fur Elise is beautiful trash. I will educate you,” Keith smirks, snatching the laptop from Lance. That’s how their lunch went. Lance would show Keith something in jazz and Keith would do the same vice versa for classical music. 

Keith quite enjoyed himself, but he enjoyed Lance's company more. 

\---

“Great of you to show up!” Lance says, exiting room 723 the next day. 

“Where are you going,” Keith asks. Keith knew that the day would come where Lance would be annoyed with him, he just didn’t want the day to come so soon. 

“We are going to Allura’s Castle,” Lance responds excitedly, grabbing Keith’s arm in the process. “A couple friends of mine are performing there today, and we’re gonna go see them. Think of it as a continuation of my jazz lesson.” 

“So like a date?” Keith blurted. He didn’t know why he blurted it. If he brought his cello with him today, he would have used it to get out of the conversation. Keith instantly regretted what he said. 

Lance stops walking. Keith feels Lance looking at him, but he wasn’t sure until Lance raised Keith’s chin to look up at him. Why is Keith now noticing how tall he is?

“Yeah, like a date,” Lance says back, smiling. Welp, if Keith’s face wasn’t red before, it was fire now. Holy shit! Keith thought he had feelings for Lance but he wasn’t sure until just now. 

Keith and Lance head off campus, and walk a couple blocks side by side until they reached Allura’s Castle. From the outside, it didn’t look that decent. It just had a sign, with mice in the logo, and an arrow that pointed down some stairs. 

“Come on, Observant, let’s go inside,” Lance urges, this time grabbing Keith’s hand. 

Oh wow. 

They walk down the stairs, and are greeted by a sweet saxophone noise from a girl with brown red hair. They weren’t on stage, it looked like they were tuning. 

Lance and Keith keep walking until Keith accidentally bumps into someone. 

“I’m so sorry,” Keith says, looking down automatically. 

“No probably, buddy,” the thing that Keith bumps into says, and Keith looks up to see a really big guy in yellow. 

“Keith this is my best friend Hunk. He plays the trombone,” Lance introduces and Keith awkwardly shakes his hand. 

“Hello,” Keith says and kind of smirks down at Keith. 

“Wow the infamous Keith. I’ve heard sooooo much about you,” Hunk’s voice exaggerates and Keith notices Lance looking at Hunk with death eyes. “Lance here won’t stop talking about you”

“Hunk, shut up,” Keith growls. 

“Yeah,” the red-brown haired girl joins. “He told us how you play the cello, and he wants you to play the bass. And how your cello’s name is Scarlet--”

“You can shut up now,” Lance says a little louder. “Keith, the little annoyance talking is Pidge. She plays the saxophone because it attracts the ladies.” 

“They don’t call it a sexophone for nothing,” Pidge cracks, slapping her knee. “Oh my gosh, I’m so funny.”

“Haha, okay Pidge. The grey haired goddess is the love of my life, Allura. Allura plays the piano,” Lance says and Keith smiles. He knows that jazz piano is different from classical piano but it still hits close to home. “The oranged freak with the cowboy mustache is Coran, he plays the drums.” 

Coran and Allura both wave at Keith. 

“And I’m Lance, I play the trumpeta and my group is next,” Lance says giving Keith finger guns and Keith looks at Lance jokingly. 

What a dork. 

Keith didn’t know that Lance’s group was the group Lance was talking about when he brought him here, but Keith wasn’t upset about it. They started out their set with that one Montage song from La La Land (Keith only knows what it is because he had to analyze some songs from Music Theory). Lance looks at Keith every now and then during his songs, and every other time he looks, Lance winks. which causes Keith’s heart to explode. 

Keith payed attention to all the things he was suppose to. He played attention to Lance because he looked so cute focusing on his music. He payed attention to Pidge’s foot tapping and Hunk’s sway when he played. He payed attention to the triplets Allura made during her solos, which apparently were made up on the spot. Keith could never. Mostly he payed attention to the music, how they all blended into each other and not a single instrument overplayed the other. 

Keith was in love.


	2. Would You Rather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's idea of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the sake of this, let's pretend that krolia didn't leave keith and that she's ooorean. k thanks.

Keith doesn’t know what love is. He knows depictions of love, like how movies and music portray them. He knows love at first sight is supposed to be heart stopping, breathtaking, “butterflies-in-my-stomach” aching. He knew that love was suppose to make you feel light hearted and sweet, he got that from music, but how was he really suppose to know he was in love? Keith thinks its suppose to feel like jazz. It’s not supposed to be an exact emotion,and it can change at any given time. It’s suppose to have a baseline and have a rhythmic feel, but still go wild, with the sense that everything is in place. He wants to feel that with somebody. He wants to feel the random and rhythmic feature of jazz that depicts love with somebody. Maybe someone close… 

“Would you rather be a submarine pilot or a space pilot?” Lance asks and Keith chuckles. Keith has been coming to room 723 daily, he likes Lance’s energy, his personality and everything about Lance in general. It’s been a week since Allura’s Castle, a week since Keith and Lance had...a moment, but Keith doesn’t want to bring it up. What if Lance didn’t really mean anything but it? He seems like a flirtatious person. 

“I don’t think a submarine pilot is a thing,” Keith comments, bringing himself back to reality. 

“K, but did I ask?” Lance sasses. 

“Technically--”

“THE QUESTION IS,” Lance screams, “would you rather be a submarine pilot or a space pilot?” 

“Space pilot,” Keith answers. 

“Why?” Lance asks. 

“Why what?” 

“Why would you want to be a space pilot?” 

“Why do I need to explain myself?” Keith shoots at Lance. 

“Because that’s how this game works. You answer the question and then you explain why.” 

Keith crosses his arms.

“It makes no sense. I should be able to answer a question without having to explain myself.” 

“Keith why are you making this so difficult?” Lance sighs. 

“That is not a question worth answering,” Keith responds and Lance sighs again. “Okay I’ll go. I would be a space pilot because I think space is cool and I wanna meet some cute space girls.” 

Keith’s heart slumps for a while when Lance says “space girls”. 

“Oh,” Keith says in response.

“O-o-o-or boys. Space boys. Boys are cool. Yeah, guys and stuff, and their faces. Yep. I would like space boys. I like boys,” Lance says quickly that Keith was barely able to process it. 

“Oh,” was all he could say. “Well I would be a space pilot because,” Keith emphasizes on the because, “I’ve always been drawn the space for some reason. Maybe it’s because my mom would show it to me all the time when we were in the country, before we moved. Space is cool.” 

Lance nods, and holds down his head like he’s done something wrong. 

“Boys are cool too,” Keith says and Lance looks up at Keith like he told him that he won a million dollars. 

“Cool,” Lance smiles. 

Keith was 16 years old when he came out to someone, that someone being his mom. Keith kind of knew that his mom would be a little more caring about the “my-son-is-gay” thing than his dad, Keith thinks it’s because him and his mom share a type of bond. 

“Mom can you listen to this song I composed,” Keith said to his mother in Korean on January 23rd that year, the day his dad was working late. 

“You compose songs now?” His mom responded in her monotone voice. That’s the thing Keith liked about his mom, her voice was caring and stern at the same time. 

“I guess. I composed it for someone...special,” Keith said, a little flustered. 

“Someone special?” Krolia chuckled a little.

“Could you not make fun of me and just listen?” Keith said flustered and Krolia nodded her head. 

Growing up Keith didn’t know how to express his emotions, he preferred not to express any kind of emotion, but when he got into his music, he found a way to explain exactly what he was feeling. He titled his piece “Purple Heart”, and played it with everything he had. He played it sweetly, so sweetly that if it had a flavour it’d be cherry. His bow danced across the strings as he tried to show how happy his crush made him, but at the same time made him terrified. Keith finished his piece with tears streaming down his face, not only because he played his emotions, but because he wanted to know if his mom understood what he was feeling and how scared he was to tell her. Fortunately for Keith, she did. His mom didn’t cry, but her eye swelled. 

“That was beautiful, my son,” she cried, getting up from where she was to hug Keith. “I’m sure she’ll love it.” 

Keith remembers being frozen, because he really tried to get his point across. 

“Actually mom, I hope he’ll like it,” Keith corrected. Krolia pulled Keith back so that they could see eye to eye. 

“Yes, he will,” she smiled. “사랑해,” She said making Keith cry even more. Keith couldn’t respond bevause of how much he was sobbing, but he’s sure she knew that Keith loved her too. 

Keith hasn’t had a major crush since then, but there was something about Lance telling him that he liked boys that made Keith’s heart jump and made butterflies grow in his stomach. 

“Keith? Keiiittthhh?” Lance’s sing songy voice breaks through Keith’s thoughts. 

“What? Sorry?” 

“I said, would you rather have fire powers or ice powers?” 

Keith lets out a sigh, but it wasn’t an annoyed sigh. It was a “wow-this-kid” kind of sigh. “Fire powers,” he responded and they sat in silence. 

“WHY KEITH? YOU GOTTA EXPLAIN WHY!” Lance screams and Keith cracks a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did ya like? give kudos and bookmark (i think) for updates.  
> tum: @bowtiesnfries  
> twit: ill think about giving that out

**Author's Note:**

> did you like it? i should post chapter 2 soon  
> tumblr: @bowtiesnfries


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